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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. degree — temperature
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rest — a break
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rest — what's left
  11. branch — a division
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — help
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rest — what's left
  19. degree — an amount
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cell — a phone
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com